Pirouette [h.s.]

extra - lo mein

Phoebe's POV

**As promised, part two of tonight's brainstorm. My sincerest apologies to baby Tatum and Shaney for never including them. We've got a two year old Rory and a pregnant Phoebe in this one.**

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The pattering of the shower slows to an anticlimactic end, the squeaky hinge predictable in its eager following. I grieve the loss of the singing that echoed through the underwater acoustics, but shuffling footsteps overhead bring as much warmth and comfort as the voice that previously graced our ears. Aurora dances across the room, chasing after Stitch's ball, before getting side swept by the tiny kitchen set her father surprised us all with for her birthday.

"Harry, I swear if you don't hurry up." I grumble under my breath, biting my cheek against the smile that dares to spread when he yells back despite how quietly I spoke. Able to hear the words before they even so much as fall off of my lips.

"Give me two minutes max, honeybee." A piece of me wants to time him, to pull out my stopwatch and give him a countdown warning like we do with Ror at the end of playtime. But, instead, I find solace in the rummaging upstairs as I watch our daughter try her hardest to ruin the outfit I dressed her in an hour ago before her father decided he wasn't ready to go.

In what feels closer to five minutes, Harry comes barreling down the staircase, silly face on display to erupt a volcano of laughter from Rory. He swings her up into his arms and blows a raspberry into her neck.

"I'm ready to go." He announces, daughter in arms and hand reaching out to check on the second. I give him a look as he rubs my belly which gifts me a sheepish smile, "I mean it this time."

An apologetic, "I love you" and a kiss to the temple later, we're heading out the door. With a quick goodbye to Stitch and Wonton, Harry's piling us into Mick and taking off down the road, well aware that we're running late. Although, our destination would never hold that against us.

Meili had cornered Harry last week when he'd gone to pick up dinner, all but yelling at him over the fact that he was keeping Aurora and me hidden from the rest of the world. So, to remedy the situation, he made dinner reservations for all of us at the restaurant. Reservations that we, presently, had to speed to if we had any hope of making them on time.

"Rory, don't drive like Daddy, okay?" I turn around to watch her excited eyes glazed outside the window.

"Daddy!" She cheers, shaking her currently coveted toy spatula wildly in the air. I should have known better than to get her started - the baby that worships her dad's every move.

"Hi, my raspberry girl," Harry coos back with a few glances in the rearview mirror.

They continue their love fest as we drive while I attempt to soothe the wild child residing in my belly. She tumbles cartwheels against my abdomen, equally as hungry as the rest of us.

"Oh, Phoebe!" Meili's standing outside waiting for us as we pull in, clapping her hands together as Harry helps me out of the front seat. She rushes over and pulls me into a hug, leaving Harry with his arms open and waiting. With a quiet, dejected huff, he hauls Ror onto his hip, murmuring quietly to her.

"Hi, Meili, it's nice to finally be allowed outside," I hear Harry's dramatic gasp from behind us and he grabs onto the back of my neck, squeezing it between his fingers.

"You wanna be sent right back inside?" He taunts with a kiss to my temple.

Meili smacks his arm for me before tucking Ror's hair behind her ear, "Are you hungry, baby? Should we get you some noodles?"

Aurora nods with a bout of newfound wonder flickering through her eyes. Her arms reach for Meili, abandoning her dad in search of food. Her priorities as straight as ever. Harry hands off our eager little girl, letting his palm settle at the bottom of my back while we take the familiar path to our booth in the corner.

Eventually Meili returns with our baby, a plate of potstickers in hand while Ror carefully holds onto a plastic bowl full of lo mein. Her tongue peeks out of the side of her mouth as she tries desperately to focus on not dropping her dinner.

"Way to go, baby," Harry acts as if Ror solved world hunger just by holding onto the bowl, lifting her into the air and giving her kisses until her laughter effectively annoys every last person in the restaurant.

While they carry on their celebration, I dive into the potstickers, quelling my crazy girl for even just a moment. Harry situates Aurora into the high chair at the end of the table, stealing a noodle before passing them to her. Immediately, she's shoving her hand into the bowl, pulling out a clump of noodles entirely too large to fit into her mouth. That doesn't stop her from trying, though, bound determined to shovel every last piece in.

"Do you think she's going to share with her sister?" Harry asks with a lopsided grin that already knows the answer to his question. He methodically separates our potstickers, already cutting the fifth in half to spread to either side of the plate.

"Absolutely not." I laugh around the food in my mouth, watching the furrow between our daughter's eyebrows deepen in concern when she has no choice but to set the noodles down.

"Be careful, little berry." Harry runs the back of his finger across her cheek, "Take small bites, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," She nods, behaving like an angel in public to make up for her streaks of terror at home. That doesn't stop her, however, from flinging noodles all over the place as she eats. A tornado of delicate mess everywhere she goes. Tearing up towns and trying desperately to repair them all in the same breath.

Meili waltzes over when she notices that we're finishing up, jumping into conversation seamlessly. She asks every last question possible about the pregnancy, and Aurora, and work, before I even have the chance to ask her how she's been recently. Her interrogation bleeds into my own as we catch up. After reassuring her at least five times that I won't let Harry keep me away this long again, Meili steps away in the direction of the kitchen.

Harry fishes money from his wallet to pay for dinner, his head cocking to the side when he sees Meili appear from the kitchen again. Her hands are hidden behind her back, a mischievous smile plastered across her face.

"What does she want?" He narrows his eyebrows, the corner of his lip hiking upward the closer she gets.

"Oh, Harry, dear," Meili's voice is ever so slightly too loud, and heaping spoonfuls too sweet, "I almost forgot." From behind her back, with a grand flourish, she reveals a broom and dustpan, signaling to the floor beneath Rory's chair.

I throw my head back laughing, only enticed further as Harry gapes like a fish. With his mouth still stunned open, he takes the broom. Before he starts his job cleaning, I get a look at the floor. Tiny pieces of lo mein noodle decorate all around, joining the pattern of the carpet in a collage of Peking. Aurora is none the wiser, having ensured every last speck of the high chair tray was clear and cleaned to perfection. I hoist her into my lap, scooting sideways to make room for Meili beside me while Harry begins to sweep up the bits of noodle.

Meili leads the applause, our laughter fueling Ror's. "Rory, baby, clap for your Daddy's hard work!"

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Aaaaand here's part two of random blurbs for the night. Microscopic in size, but equally as them as all of the others. Thank you for being here, I love you, always. Stay Gold.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.